King Satyavrata was the subsequent Manu Vivasvanta who had the distinction of playing a major role in the context of Vishnu Bhagavan’s Avatara (Incarnation) as Matsya or the Giant Fish. The Story was when Satyavrata was paying offerings of waters in the River Kirtimala, a tiny fish appeared in his palms and requested him not to throw it back into the River as big fishes would swallow it and as such keep it in a container. As the fish was kept in a pot, it became too big for the succsessive containers and grew into a huge fish which filled in the entire Ocean. The giant fish was none other than Bhagavan Narayana himself; the Matsyaavatara directed King Satyavrata to await the arrival of a maamoth Ship and meanwhile the King should collect samples of good human beings, flora, fauna and so on and load these materials. The Matsya further conveyed that as the Ship would arrive with Sapta Rishes aboard on it, it would be hooked to the horns of the Fish to be propelled by the Great Vasuki Serpent when the totality of the Universe would be submeged in water. Lord Brahma would then be woken up from his slumber as the Demon Hayagriva who would have been killed since he would attempt to steal Vedas and other Scriptures. Subsequently Brahma would resume the task of Creation of the Universe afresh!
Manu Vivaswanta gave birth to ten sons including Ikshvaku, Saryati, Nabhaga and Prushaghna. Episoded related to many of the sons of the Manu are intersting mentioned here-below in brief:
Ikshwaku’s lineage included Puranjaya/ Kakustha, Yuvanashra and Mandhata. Puranjaya fought a severe battle with Daityas on behalf of Devas by riding a Great Bull who actually was Indra himself by holding the Kakutsa or the hump of the bull thus obtaining the epithet of Kakutsa or Indravahana!
King Yuvanashra perforned a noted Yagna targetting Indra Deva to secure a son. During the Sacrifice days, he felt very thirsty one midnight in the Yagna Shaala and drank up the ‘Mantra Jala’ or the Sanctified Water kept in a vessel. The Rishis performing the Yagna were aghast to find the vessel empty next morning as the King drank up the Sacred Water. Eventually, the King got conceived instead of his Queen and a male child came out fromhis abdomen which had to be cut. The cried for milk and Indra put his index finger in the child’s mouth and saved him!
The boy thus born was Mandhata, the undisputed Emperor of the World comprising Seven Dwipas ‘from where Sun rose at where it was set!’ He was stated to have discovered Manasa Sarovara on Mount Kailasha was he was reputed to have performed Tapas at the banks of the Lake. It was believed that there was a Serpent Mansion where the Emperor prayed under a Jamun Tree from which its fruits (Blackberry) dropped into the Sarovar making the sounds of ‘Jam’ and the area underneath the Sarovara was called Jambu Dwipa!
Mandhata’s wife Bindumati was a pious woman and gave birth to Purukutsa and Muchukunda and fifty daughters. There was an interesting Story about the daughters. Sage Saubhari a very old and diseased person who did Tapasya under water for twelve years noticed that fishes in water were having sex and procreating; the Muni got tempted and approached Mandhata to let any of his daughters marry him. The Emperor was afraid that the Sage might give a ‘Shaap’ if declined and asked that anybody among the daughters was prepared to marry the Sage; none consented as the Sage was very old and disgusting physically with diseases. Mandhata had a problem but cleverly replied that his family custom was that all the daughters would have to wed the same person and none should disagree. The Sage transformed himself into a handsome youth by his mystical powers and presented himself. All the girls vied with each other to marry him and the youthful Sage built mansions and all of them enjoyed. But in course of time, the Sage realised that on account of the fishes in the water, his spiritual life was ruined and although very late in life reverted back to a more introspective life and intensified devotion to Vishnu.
Purukutsa married Narmada the sister of Serpent brothers and she took him away to Rasatala the sub-terrain world under instruction from King Vasuki as approved by Bhagavan Vishnu to overpower Gandharvas who invaded Rasatala and other Patala Lokas. Nagas were afraid of Gandharvas as some six crores of the latter descended there for hunting the priceless ‘Ratnas’ / Jewels. Nagas sought protection and prayed to Vishnu in desperation. Indeed Purukutsa succeeded and Nagas gave a boon to Narmada that whosoever bathed in River Narmada by reciting a Shloka would be safe from Sarpa- Visha or Snake- Poison; the Shloka states: Narmadaayai Namah Praatarnamaadaayai Namo Nisha, Namostu Narmadey tubhyam traahimaam vishasarpatah/ (Devi Narmada! My salutations to you in the day or night; kindly safeguard me from the fear of Serpents and their poisonous bites!) This recitation while entering dark places as also while eating food would safeguard from any kind of poisons thanks to Purukutsa and Narmada!
